Before I met Microsoft's new virtual helper, I wondered if this delayed effort to challenge Apple's and Google's personal assistants was a strategic step forward for Microsoft, or another Zune-like dead end. At the very least, it had to be more than just an animated paper clip that offered to help the world write better letters, right?

Cortana is no Clippy, the name of Microsoft Office's ill-fated help feature, though she may be teased as much for being named after a character from the popular Xbox franchise...